Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lied to Indigenous people when he said there was no relationship more important to him than with the First Peoples of this land when he was elected in 2015, says a grand chief in Quebec.
Grand Chief Serge Simon of the Kanesatake Mohawk Council said the proof is in Trudeau’s tireless support of expanding Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline.
Earlier this week, the federal government said it will go as far as pay Kinder Morgan for any costs for construction delays and are still considering passing new laws to put the pipeline in the ground from Alberta to Burnaby, B.C.
“Trudeau has said in the past his most important relationship was that with the First Nations and with this that is proving that was a lie. It’s not true,” said Simon on Nation to Nation Thursday.
“It’s very alarming that the government would go that far to protect an outside interest like Kinder Morgan, a Texas-based corporation.”
Watch the full episode of Nation to Nation below:
Simon is a member of the Treaty Alliance Against Tar Sands Expansion, a group of 150 First Nations and Tribes across Turtle Island.
The group was formed to fight pipeline projects through their territories and right now it has its sights set on Kinder Morgan.
But in the end, it’s about recognition of rights said Simon.
“That’s what’s at the centre of this whole thing; it’s that recognition they don’t want to give,” said Simon.
Simon has seen this unfold before.
He remembers when the Oka Crisis unfolded 28 years ago in summer of 1990 during the Battle of the Pines triggered by the Village of Oka’s desire to expand a golf course over Mohawk burial grounds. One person died and it’s something Simon said no one wants to see happen again.
But if rights are not respected he said it’s inevitable.
“If you are going to push industry concerns over First Nation concerns on our territory you are going to see a flashpoint somewhere,” he said. “I’m really hoping for my friends in B.C. that it doesn’t go that way for them.”
The Trudeau government has refused to rule out using force to build Kinder Morgan’s pipeline and there has already been hundreds of arrests.
It’s a project Trudeau has already approved and his government says First Nations and Metis groups were consulted beforehand. However, support for the project has dropped from 51 deals to 44 between to Kinder Morgan and Indigenous groups.
Some that have supported it say they felt they didn’t have a choice. In fact, Yale First Nation signed a deal because it was so beaten down and broke from colonization and the “worst” treaty agreement in Canada. It needed Kinder Morgan’s money to keep from going into third-party management.
https://twitter.com/Cheyom1/status/996658771878334464
While others like Cheam First Nation, or at least its chief Ernie Crey, say the pipeline is better than transporting the bitumen by train.
Crey has been outspoken on Twitter about Simon speaking about the pipeline saying he holds no rights in Alberta or B.C. and should stay out of it.
“He can say whatever he wants. It’s a debate we’ll have to have somewhere down the line whether I have that right or not,” said Simon.
Ernie Crey is being paid well for his support of this pipeline.
Ernie Crey is being paid well for his support of this pipeline.
Serge is a hero for speaking up for our western First Nations neighbours. Who is this Federal scapegoat Frey? Maybe he’s frustrated because he’s losing a lot of hair lately due to stress, etc..Lol
Serge is a hero for speaking up for our western First Nations neighbours. Who is this Federal scapegoat Frey? Maybe he’s frustrated because he’s losing a lot of hair lately due to stress, etc..Lol
If the federal government attempts to escalate this issue to the level of what took place in Oka I think the reaction will be very different here. Huge numbers of allies have pledged to stop this project, mostly following the leadership of the First Nations that have been driving the whole process.
Grand Chief Serge Simon was invited by the George family of the Tsleil Waututh people to add his support to their efforts to STOP KINDER MORGAN.
If the federal government attempts to escalate this issue to the level of what took place in Oka I think the reaction will be very different here. Huge numbers of allies have pledged to stop this project, mostly following the leadership of the First Nations that have been driving the whole process.
Grand Chief Serge Simon was invited by the George family of the Tsleil Waututh people to add his support to their efforts to STOP KINDER MORGAN.
Unsure how it makes any difference what he says. It is not his nation that has already seen2 spills by this company nor his nation that has the most to lose when there is a spill that will inevitably impact the traditional sustainable ways of life of many BC First Nations. How is this any different than colonization when the Colonizers tried to turn one nation against the other. How long ago was it that Trudeau and Notley made commitments to reconciliation? Seems like they understand nothing about it. How can he ignore the wildfires and floods facing BC. When will Trudeau and Notley wake up to the reality that we need to put manufacturing of renewable sources of energy at the forefront of our economy to create stable jobs.
Unsure how it makes any difference what he says. It is not his nation that has already seen2 spills by this company nor his nation that has the most to lose when there is a spill that will inevitably impact the traditional sustainable ways of life of many BC First Nations. How is this any different than colonization when the Colonizers tried to turn one nation against the other. How long ago was it that Trudeau and Notley made commitments to reconciliation? Seems like they understand nothing about it. How can he ignore the wildfires and floods facing BC. When will Trudeau and Notley wake up to the reality that we need to put manufacturing of renewable sources of energy at the forefront of our economy to create stable jobs.
Its wonderful and reassuring to see Grand Chief Serge Simon defending Westcoast Nations who haven’t been consulted. There’s trmendous power in solidarity.
By Ernie Crey’s reckoning he has absolutely no say on ANY First Nation territory except his own. On one hand he desires the collective strength of ALL First Nations yet he doesn’t want anybody but himself making decisions or statement on what he is doing for and to his Cheam nation.
Its wonderful and reassuring to see Grand Chief Serge Simon defending Westcoast Nations who haven’t been consulted. There’s trmendous power in solidarity.
By Ernie Crey’s reckoning he has absolutely no say on ANY First Nation territory except his own. On one hand he desires the collective strength of ALL First Nations yet he doesn’t want anybody but himself making decisions or statement on what he is doing for and to his Cheam nation.
Ernie Crey is a part of a 13 person panel who received $65 million federal dollars to ‘oversee the construction of the Kinder Morgan pipeline’ – whatever that means. He claims he ‘negotiated hard’ to get a $300 million dollar deal for his band. What Ernie doesn’t seem to recognize is all those years he was dealing with Indig. issues of the worst kind, they were all brought on by these same resources companies and the Cdn gov’t. Now he wants to bring the same to all the other nations on that pipeline route – with the utter horrific knowledge that somewhere along that line, that pipeline of the worst of toxic, flammable, explosive mixtures, a break will occur & ruin lives forever.
7 generations, Ernie. 7 generations.
Wow, you’re now showing your true colors Ernie Crey, badmouthing Aboriginals standing up for their territories aka Turtle Island. How dare you behave in such a despicable manner, you are rapidly losing credibility among the real First People. You have become a traitor and a turncoat, time will not be very kind to you.
Ernie Crey is a part of a 13 person panel who received $65 million federal dollars to ‘oversee the construction of the Kinder Morgan pipeline’ – whatever that means. He claims he ‘negotiated hard’ to get a $300 million dollar deal for his band. What Ernie doesn’t seem to recognize is all those years he was dealing with Indig. issues of the worst kind, they were all brought on by these same resources companies and the Cdn gov’t. Now he wants to bring the same to all the other nations on that pipeline route – with the utter horrific knowledge that somewhere along that line, that pipeline of the worst of toxic, flammable, explosive mixtures, a break will occur & ruin lives forever.
7 generations, Ernie. 7 generations.
Wow, you’re now showing your true colors Ernie Crey, badmouthing Aboriginals standing up for their territories aka Turtle Island. How dare you behave in such a despicable manner, you are rapidly losing credibility among the real First People. You have become a traitor and a turncoat, time will not be very kind to you.